Travel Journal: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Before coming here I thought that I was going to feel like I was in a whole different world.

A whole new wooooooooooorld….

I had to.

Looking out as Cristina and I were driving to where we were going to stay, I realized how similar the city of San Juan was to back home. I figured since the island is part of the United States, that’s why I saw so many familiar restaurants and stores. Little did I know this was anything but the same as home.

Sunday 03/05/17: The Arrival

Today was our arrival day and the excitement was spilling out of me. This is my first time traveling technically by myself and I’ve never been more nervous. The only way I can possibly explain the emotions I felt before going on the flight is if you know the feeling you get when you hop on that one rollercoaster that brings out both fear and anticipation. I was scared to take me first step into independence but was anticipating the moment where I’d take the second. We both did not get any sleep the night before and the flight was only about two and a half hours long so I didn’t really bother sleeping. Not that I could if I wanted to anyways. Cristina is puerto-rican so we are staying at her grandmother’s house who I will be calling “Mama” mostly because that was her name to us while there. So after Mama picked us up from the airport we went straight to the beach where Cristina’s uncle was opening his restaurant. It was honestly so mesmerizing how amazing the beach looked. There was even a pool of water that was separated from the rocks that were by the ocean. It was nerve-wracking but nice meeting her family. We took photos with both our phones and polaroids and ate some of the food her uncle was offering. Later on, we met up with one of her aunts who we’ll be calling “titi.” With titi and Cristina’s “twin” we relaxed at the beach where we just so happen to forget to wear our bikinis. We ended up falling asleep sitting by the sun. Due to this, we pretty much got bad tans. For me it was a face tan that was not working out for me. I had tan skin above my eyebrows, my cheeks, and above my lips. Thankfully, I didn’t get a tan around where the glasses I was wearing were. On the other hand, Cristina pretty much got the worst tan ever thanks to her shorts. We were woken up by her aunt that asked if we wanted to take a drive around the area and see the rest of the beach. The whole time, I was constantly taking footage for the vlog Im working on for you guys. I got to try a coconut desert that the have here and I can only say that I finally new what love felt like. For the remaining of the day, we went to mama’s house where we were going to be staying and it was beautiful. We got to relax by the pool and eventually got to go visit Old San Juan at night with Cristina’s other aunt who we’ll be calling “tia.” Old San Juan was huge and so gorgeous though it rained and was a bit dark out. Afterwards, we were brought back home and we completely knocked out.

Monday 03/06/17: SHOPPING DAY!!

So today is the day we’ve been waiting for since this trip was planned. Okay, of course we know everyday is going to be exciting but today was extra special because we were able to treat ourselves to some shopping with titi. We went to the outlet malls where to our surprise, there was almost the exact stores you would see back home. We went to Charlotte Russe, Urban Planet, some shoe stores, and a store called 579 where we got some really nice clothes. Of course towards the end of this marvelous shopping day, we needed to try some local coffee and let me tell you, it was twice as better as any Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts you’ll ever taste. We went over titi’s house and I got to meet her boyfriend and her adorable puppy who clearly loved meeting new people because she was all over the place! From there we went over to the movies where we saw the movie Logan. OH MY GOODNESS THAT MOVIE WAS LIFE CHANGING. Okay so before I go on my little rant let me just say, there will be spoilers. So stop reading while you can because I already had some complaints online for the snaps I posted basically spoiling the ending *cough cough* Max. Not gonna name anyone but you know who you are. The film was the last thing we did so you’d be able to skip this part and go to tomorrow’s day.

STOP

From here on out it’s pure spoilers so skip it if you’re planning to watch Logan.

OKAY FIRST OF ALL!!!! why did the director think it was okay to play with my feelings like this?! One second I was like why is this wolverine dude such a jackass? and the next I was in tears because of his death. Correct me if I’m wrong but from what I understood, he was dying the whole time already and you could see how weak he was feeling. Now his daughter, omg she is so badass! This girl has the claws coming out of her feet too like WHAAAAAAAAAT. Now I just wish that Professor X didn’t die and that innocent family because they really did not deserve it. Dumb Logan twin had to step in and ruin it all for me. But to be honest the part that really got to me was obviously the death of Logan and the reaction of his daughter. He was so close to reaching Eden with the mutant kids and he just had to die on them like really? He finally accepted his daughter and told her that he now know what it feels like. THEN THIS GIRL JUST HAD TO CALL HIM DADDY AND I LOST MY MIND. Tears just ran down my face and I didn’t even bother stopping them because it was just sad scene behind the other. Like wolverine really died. Logan is over. We’re never going to see him in any other movie. It broke my heart.

********END OF SPOILER********

So after the movie, we just got so acai bowls and since I never tried it before, Cristina and I just shared one. It was pretty good. Definitely something I would eat again.

Tuesday 03/07/17: Stock up

We really didn’t have anything that would fill us up for the trip so we had to go shopping at Costco for food with mama and Walgreens to get some girl necessities. We got bacon, fruit, and other foods that we would like to eat while we were there. I barely go to Costco back home so it still fascinates me how huge the store is. It’s every food item or product jumbo-sized. After that we just went to Walgreens where I got some makeup wipes, leave-in conditioner, and deodorant. This is when it just started to rain non-stop so we really did not do anything after we went to the groceries. You can consider this day a resting day for us. We just stayed home and relaxed. BUT this night, we got scared out of our minds. You see, the house stays having most of the windows open and some doors are loose. When the wind comes in, it’s able to push the door closed and make a loud sound. Each time we walk into the house, Cristina has to lock the door with a key since it can be opened easily. Apparently this night she didn’t lock it tight enough or didn’t check if she locked it right because when we made our way to the kitchen to put away some late night snacks, she noticed the door was open. THE SECOND SHE MENTIONS THAT THE DOOR IS OPEN, THE DOOR SLAMS SHUT. I’ve never ran so fast in my life. In our minds we knew it was the wind that shut the door but fear took over our bodies and we dropped everything and cleared it. Once we got back to the room

I didn’t close the door behind me completely and it shut on us like two minutes after. Every sound that was being made would cause a reaction from us two. One including me using a water bottle as protection ready to throw, and Cristina lifting a rocking chair with her feet! It got to the point where we called mama to come and help us out the room which made her crack up. This moment was probably one of the highlights of this trip.

Wednesday 03/08/17: PA LA PLAYA!

This morning we woke super tired from not really sleeping the night before. We got a call from mama saying that tia was going to take us to the beach today. It’s a good thing that it was early because the drive to the beach we were going to was almost two hours away. Lucky for us, there was little to no rain outside and the sun was blazing. This was the beach day we were waiting for! It takes us about half an hour to get ready and get picked up. On the drive there, I got some footage for the vlog that I’m working on for the trip. The views on the way were mesmerizing. There were various green hills, animals, and small towns everywhere that really caught my eye. We stopped at a Wendy’s to eat some brunch and then we were back on our way. Stopping at a gas station, Cristina and I got some snacks for what was left of the trip and got to stretch out from the car ride. The remaining of the drive to the beach was so fascinating because the local residents had really colorful houses and businesses. I remember thinking to myself how I wanted to just get out the car and walk around a little just to see deeper into the town. After parking at the beach, the first thing I noticed was the amount of tourists that were surrounding the place. All you saw was a bunch of wild spring breakers drinking and having the time of their lives. This beach (which I will not name mostly because I really do not remember what it was called) was gorgeous. Everywhere you turned was pure beauty and it was super fascinating to me since my love for beaches is actually pretty freaking humongous. We spent most of the day there and afterwards went to get some pizza. Now this pizza was so scrumptious that I lost count of how many slices I ate. Usually it would be two slices but I actually couldn’t stop eating so I lost count… We left after and the rest of the night was honestly so tiring since we spent most of it driving back home. Overall, this day was unforgettable.

THURSDAY 03/09/17: PLAZA

Again this was sort of a resting day for us except for one moment where Cristina got her tattoo… or did she?

We woke up early to go to a mall with mama to stay with her while she works and we could also get some extra shopping done. Most of the day this is what we did. Cristina got a new phone and we both got some clothes. This was when Cristina was supposed to get her tattoo but something went wrong and we had to save it for the next day. We got dropped off home and we basically chilled for the rest of the day.

Sorry today was really short but that really all we did haha.

ON TO THE NEXT DAY!

FRIDAY 03/10/17: INKED UP

When we got picked up from tia, we went to various tattoo places and they all said that in Puerto Rico, a person has to be 21 to be inked.

UGHHHHHHH.

This is probably the most unnecessary law because I know people younger than me who have tats already and even if they did it on the down low, with parent’s consent, most can get tatted with no problem if they’re not 18 yet. BUT NO lets just throw a new age law to screw over all those 18 year-olds that think they’re all grown now and independent.

Eventually, we found a tattoo parlor that with consent, would ink Cristina. When we arrived, Cristina and Tia made sure that everything was going to come out good with Tia’s consent. After she signed the papers and the tattoo artist sketched out Cristina’s design, we went into the room where he started to prepare.

Mind you this was Cristina’s first tattoo and she was FLIPPING OUT. Shaking and all, she told me that she was going to hold my hands for squeezing and indeed she did. I couldn’t record any of the experience because my two hands were busy holding hers while she was getting inked. To her surprise, it didn’t hurt as much as she thought it would. She had mentally prepared herself for the worst excruciating pain she would ever feel.

The tattoo she chose was an arrow. A line with a triangle in the end. A LINE.

Now even though it was really just a line that she was getting on her side, it was still a tattoo so I understand how she must’ve felt. In the end, the tattoo came out pretty dope. She was really happy with it and mentioned that she already wanted more afterwards. Goodness Cristina just wait a little will ya? haha.

Tattoo man asked if I was going to get one soon and I said yeah but pretty much not until I’m sure of what I’m getting. I have two ideas for a tattoo and they’re both small. The only one that I know I want for sure would be behind my ear which can be hidden quite nicely. We’ll see how that works out with my family haha.

That night we went out with both of Cristina’s aunts and they’re boyfriends to partayyyyyy. Okay not really but we did go to the area where all the mini bars and clubs were. It was fun and though it was late, the place was surrounded by tourists and locals all together drinking and having fun. Cristina and I got a bit hungry and got some food at this restaurant where all the security guards and our waiter were gorgeous. Even with all the tourists around, you could still spot various cute guys. Tourists and locals! Ah, we were in heaven haha. Ending the night, we went back and stayed over titi’s house with her precious puppy and WIFI!

Thank the Lord Jesus can I just mention that in Mama’s house there is literally no wifi and I couldn’t use my data for anything cause it’s not unlimited (the struggle I know). So when I got to connect my phone to titi’s wifi, I turned into your typical teenager while Cristina and I were laying in the guest bed. We were both on our phones basically updating everyone that we were alive. Thats how the night ended basically. We both just knocked out after.

SATURDAY 03/11/17: LAST DAY 😦

So

The time has come

Where we have to leave this island

And go back into reality.

UGH.

This day we packed up all our clothes and personal items to have everything ready for our flight at 4AM.

FOUR.IN.THE.MORNING.

This meant that we were supposed to be ready at the airport at around 2AM.

I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON.

ME AND MORNINGS DO NOT GET ALONG AT ALL.

NEVER DID, NEVER WILL.

So this was pretty annoying for me but you know what, I don’t sleep anyways so this shouldn’t be a problem for me but it kinda was. After packing, I felt like spending the remainder of the day by the pool since it actually wasn’t raining for once and just relax. Cristina can’t have her tattoo get any contact with sunlight so she had to go through this whole process with herself in order to cover up the tattoo and tan the rest of her skin.

When it started to get dark, we basically got dressed for the airport and went over to Mama’s house with our luggage so we wouldn’t have to come back for it. Cristina and I were starving so we decided to get some Panda Express to fill ourselves up for the flight (and because we were really craving Panda Express since the moment we saw it on arrival day.) When we got to the house, we decided to take a nap and get some rest in before the flight since it would technically be Sunday morning.

Waking up, we took all our bags to Mama’s car and drove off to the airport. I was somewhat sleepy since I didn’t get much sleep in due to cartoons. On the other hand, Cristina knocked out so quick and got to sleep for a couple hours. We took out our bags from the truck and said our goodbyes to Mama. I really appreciated her help with the trip. Honestly one of the sweetest ladies I’ve met. The rest of the morning consisted of coffee, food, laughs, and sadness as we boarded the flight.

Overall this trip to Puerto Rico went extremely well. I was blown away from the beauty and culture that I saw when we visited beaches and saw locals. 100% would come again and 100% recommend you to visit if you haven’t already.

PHOTO TIME!!!!!!

SOOOOO

That’s basically it.

Thank you for reading this even though it’s kinda late heh. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed typing it up!

SHOUTOUT TO MAMA, TITI, AND TIA FOR HOOKING YOUR GIRLS UP THIS TRIP AND BEING SO AMAZING!

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